Candyman just doesn't work for me.

[Anthony W]

Candyman...can't decide what it wants to be.

Here is my issue with this character. When you look at it you see all the hallmarks of dumb slasher flicks. A hook hand! His flesh is rotting! Bees coming out of his mouth!

The problem is the origin story is pretty good. Raised in a very dark time in American history. He is an accomplished artist. Forbidden affair that got him killed.

The origin story doesn't mesh at all with the slasher crap bolted on to the character. The actor that they got to play the character (Tony Todd) seems to good for the role as well. It feels like the character is aspiring to be an upscale monster with a dark nobility like Dracula and low rent slasher at the same time.

Also, why are we in Chicago? The character would be better served by going full Southern Gothic and taking place in the south. I can only guess the reason this is so janky is because it's adapted (BADLY) from Clive Barker's short story, set in Liverpool, about segregation and urban areas.

Except we aren't in Liverpool.

How would you go about fixing this character? Let's talk about what can stay first.
1. The origin. It's a good origin it can stay. I like the fact that he is an artist and that should be a big part of the character.
2. Mirror abilities. It's a nice ability. It can stay.
3. Immortality.

Now let's talk about what can go.
1. The hook hand. It's dumb
2. The rotting flesh.

[HollowSage]

It didn’t work for me either. I tried several different mirrors and no candy man.

[thwhtGuardian]

Seemed to have worked for a lot of other people just as is.

[Alan2099]

I liked the first Candyman movie, the second was okay, but the newer one really seemed to have no idea what it was trying to do.

[choptop]

Literally almost everything in the 1st one works are you talking about the new one? I agree that was horrible and didn't work.

[Username taken]

It didn’t work for me either. I tried several different mirrors and no candy man.

I said it about 10 times and nothing happened.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Candyman...can't decide what it wants to be.

Here is my issue with this character. When you look at it you see all the hallmarks of dumb slasher flicks. A hook hand! His flesh is rotting! Bees coming out of his mouth!

The problem is the origin story is pretty good. Raised in a very dark time in American history. He is an accomplished artist. Forbidden affair that got him killed.

The origin story doesn't mesh at all with the slasher crap bolted on to the character. The actor that they got to play the character (Tony Todd) seems to good for the role as well. It feels like the character is aspiring to be an upscale monster with a dark nobility like Dracula and low rent slasher at the same time.

Also, why are we in Chicago? The character would be better served by going full Southern Gothic and taking place in the south. I can only guess the reason this is so janky is because it's adapted (BADLY) from Clive Barker's short story, set in Liverpool, about segregation and urban areas.

Except we aren't in Liverpool.

How would you go about fixing this character? Let's talk about what can stay first.
1. The origin. It's a good origin it can stay. I like the fact that he is an artist and that should be a big part of the character.
2. Mirror abilities. It's a nice ability. It can stay.
3. Immortality.

Now let's talk about what can go.
1. The hook hand. It's dumb
2. The rotting flesh.

You do realize that is what they were going for? Candyman is meant to be the African American equivalent of Dracula. And for that, Tony Todd was perfect casting.

The hook hand was to differentiate him from other slashers at the time. Looking at it now, it has been diluted. However back then it was fresh. And it makes sense given the fact they took his hand for 2 reasons - 1. He made a living as an artist and 2. He touched a white woman and had an affair with her.

The first Candyman works wonders. It's a classic. The subsequent sequels haven't helped it much. But standing on its own? It's great.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Literally almost everything in the 1st one works are you talking about the new one? I agree that was horrible and didn't work.

I was hoping he meant the newest one. But he is referring to the first one.

[Anthony W]

You do realize that is what they were going for? Candyman is meant to be the African American equivalent of Dracula. And for that, Tony Todd was perfect casting.

We both agree that Todd was great casting but it seemed to be a movie trapped between two sensibilities. The dark regal presence that harkened to Dracula, Todd brought his a game and the dumb(IMHO) nods to run of the mill slasher stuff such as the hook hand and the rotting flesh.

The hook hand was to differentiate him from other slashers at the time. Looking at it now, it has been diluted. However back then it was fresh. And it makes sense given the fact they took his hand for 2 reasons - 1. He made a living as an artist and 2. He touched a white woman and had an affair with her.

The more cynical part of me says it was given to him because all the slasher monsters such as Michael Myers, Freddy and Jason were all stabbing people and that is why he was given the hook. Got to have something sharp!

The first Candyman works wonders. It's a classic. The subsequent sequels haven't helped it much. But standing on its own? It's great.

I think it's just an okay movie that is really helped by great casting, but there is something that can be built upon there but unfortunately it never will.

[choptop]

Why do you keep talking about the hook hand like everyone has it? I really can't think of to meny other horror movie killers that has it? Also you keep talking about the rotting flesh there's barely anything like that in the movie.

[numberthirty]

...

Also, why are we in Chicago? The character would be better served by going full Southern Gothic and taking place in the south. I can only guess the reason this is so janky is because it's adapted (BADLY) from Clive Barker's short story, set in Liverpool, about segregation and urban areas.

...

This has to be one of the most nonsensical things that I have ever come across.

An urban area does not get much more "Segregation..." than the housing project in question in the city in question at the time.

[Frobisher]

This has to be one of the most nonsensical things that I have ever come across.

An urban area does not get much more "Segregation..." than the housing project in question in the city in question at the time.

TBF Chicago is quite a well-known example of the “white flight” phenomenon with successive waves of immigrants moving out of the inner city area and into the suburbs in almost concentric shells.

I never really got why they set Candyman there though either.

[Anthony W]

This has to be one of the most nonsensical things that I have ever come across.

An urban area does not get much more "Segregation..." than the housing project in question in the city in question at the time.

The Magnolia Housing Projects in New Orleans would have been in the south (they have since been tore down) and a perfect location for the story to take place. I'm saying the character is much better served (IMHO) by having the movie take place in the South at least for the first movie.

Of course they would go to the south for the second movie but...it's a different director and the movie just isn't as good.

[ed2962]

Candyman...can't decide what it wants to be.

Here is my issue with this character. When you look at it you see all the hallmarks of dumb slasher flicks. A hook hand! His flesh is rotting! Bees coming out of his mouth!

The problem is the origin story is pretty good. Raised in a very dark time in American history. He is an accomplished artist. Forbidden affair that got him killed.

The origin story doesn't mesh at all with the slasher crap bolted on to the character. The actor that they got to play the character (Tony Todd) seems to good for the role as well. It feels like the character is aspiring to be an upscale monster with a dark nobility like Dracula and low rent slasher at the same time.

Also, why are we in Chicago? The character would be better served by going full Southern Gothic and taking place in the south. I can only guess the reason this is so janky is because it's adapted (BADLY) from Clive Barker's short story, set in Liverpool, about segregation and urban areas.
Except we aren't in Liverpool.

How would you go about fixing this character? Let's talk about what can stay first.
1. The origin. It's a good origin it can stay. I like the fact that he is an artist and that should be a big part of the character.
2. Mirror abilities. It's a nice ability. It can stay.
3. Immortality.

Now let's talk about what can go.
1. The hook hand. It's dumb
2. The rotting flesh.

It actually makes perfect sense. Many black people left the Jim Crow South back in the day and came to Chicago only to face segregation here. And the housing projects were a big part of that. And despite having a black mayor in the 80's, Chicago was still a very ethnically segregated city during the time the first movie was set.

[ed2962]

The one thing I didn't like was that little kid who didn't seem to have a parent or guardian.